This disclosure relates to methods and systems for implementing a cybersecurity protection framework in a system of networked electronic devices that are in communication with each other and with external systems.
Phishing attacks that use a malicious attachment in order to compromise a recipient's computing device or connected system have been part of the most prominent computer network security breaches in recent years. To help reduce these attacks, information technology professionals want to be able to conduct controlled test to evaluate their users' susceptibility to attachment-based phishing attacks. In the training and testing context, it is desirable to deliver a variety of attachment file formats in order to both track which users opened the attachment and also deliver appropriate training to the users who open the attachment. However, because files that are attached to electronic messages can exhibit a wide variety of file formats, implementing this can be a challenge because it requests that the user's computing device include the application that rendered the attachment (e.g., Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe Acrobat) and that each such application include a means for reporting that the user opened the attachment.
This document describes devices and methods that are intended to address at least some issues discussed above and/or other issues.